Derrick Brown

[aubiefifty 16,718]

Auburn's Derrick Brown is used to being held to higher standard

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Derrick Brown is no stranger to Coach G, the tough-loving side of Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner. After all, the 6-foot-5, 317-pounder has a full season of Garner's coaching under his belt.

Still, when Garner met with Auburn's defensive line before the team's first spring scrimmage last month, Brown saw a version of Coach G he hadn't yet seen. Garner, displeased with the way his unit practiced in its return from spring break, let his feelings be known to the room.

Brown didn't get down on himself after the pre-scrimmage meeting. Instead, the rising sophomore defensive tackle took the constructive criticism as a learning moment.

"One thing about it, that scrimmage was over and by the time I got back over here from the letterman's luncheon, he was already over here watching the scrimmage," Garner said. "He's the kind of kids that it's important to him, that he cares, that he was raised that way."

Indeed, Brown's approach in his first spring at Auburn is something that has been ingrained in him since he was a child. His mother, Martha Brown -- a former college basketball player -- instilled that in him at a young age.

Martha Brown starred at Holmes Community College in Mississippi and was set to transfer to Mississippi State to play for the Bulldogs. After transferring, however, she became pregnant with Brown and never played for Mississippi State.

 

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So, when it came to her son's own athletic pursuits, Martha Brown had high expectations.

"She held me to such a high standard and would push me to be better and better and better," Brown said. "I feel like I kind of tried to deny that for the longest time, just kind of step back away from that. But eventually, when I got in high school, it clicked that she was doing that stuff for a reason. My dad was pushing me along the way too."

The result? Brown earned a five-star ranking coming out of Lanier High in Georgia and was the gem of Auburn's 2016 signing class. He also earned immediate playing time as a freshman, appearing in all 13 games last season while recording 12 total tackles, including two for a loss and 1.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble in the season opener against Clemson, the eventual national champion.

This spring, Garner said he wants to see Brown become a "much better player" heading into his sophomore season as he competes for a starting spot with redshirt junior Andrew Williams

The rising sophomore has been working on his conditioning this offseason, dropping weight and putting it back on in the form of muscle. He said he also feels more comfortable within the defense entering Year 2, noting that he had trouble learning and retaining some plays when he first arrived on campus last year.

Garner has also wanted the former five-star prospect to look to redshirt junior Dontavius Russell for help. Russell is entering his third season as a starting defensive tackle for the Tigers, and in Garner's eyes, Brown is "still feeling his way, because he's young, he's a puppy" and needs that veteran guidance.

The potential is there for Brown to break through this season, as Garner sees some similarities between the 6-foot-5, 317-pounder and a pair of former defensive linemen Garner once coached at Georgia: Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud. Like those two, who were similar in size to Brown, Garner wants to see his current pupil work on playing with better pad level.

For his part, Brown is up to the challenge -- much like he was on the day of Auburn's first spring scrimmage.

"We knew with Montravius (Adams) and Carl (Lawson) leaving that we had to step our game up, because we want to be a better defense," Derrick Brown said. "Coach G is holding us to a higher standard, being younger but also some of us that played last year, so he's holding us to a higher standard."

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

"I feel like (my parents pushing me is) very beneficial for me now, because being here on my own and having the coaching staff that we have, they can push me," Brown said. "But also, at the end of the day, when you're out on the field playing, you've got to be able to do it yourself."